


A Handsome Face With A Monster Inside

by nevermoreflesh



Series: TCC [1]
Category: 20th Century CE RPF, Historical RPF, Serial Killers - Fandom, True Crime - Fandom
Genre: First Dates, First Meetings, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Secret Identity, Secret Relationship, Serial Killers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 06:39:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15067349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nevermoreflesh/pseuds/nevermoreflesh
Summary: The two were perfect for each other, but not in the way you might expect.





	A Handsome Face With A Monster Inside

**Author's Note:**

> Note: The year is 1988, canonically Ted is 40 and Jeff is 28. He’s also living at his grandmother’s house at this time, though in this AU Jeff has started to work at Ambrosia and just killed his second victim (which fits we OTL). Bundy escaped from Aspen to Florida, and was never caught again due to not attempting to kidnap Carole Deronch (hopefully that’s how you spell it). 
> 
> Anyways first fic. It's pretty obvious I don't condone, because this story isn't romantic at all.

Socks. It was his ultimate non-violent, non-sadistic pleasure. 

 

Something safe and clean, to distract him during those days where his hands got too sweaty and antsy. Another urge he put off not because he was scared of it, but because it was too risky. Too risky to forget where he left his tools, too risky to sit in mall parking lots watching all the beautiful women go by. All in all, it was too risky too even think about murder these days.  
Around a decade ago, it seemed that police across the country had an epiphany. Suddenly they were catching killers left and right, snatching even the most incomprehensible suspects. The family man who entertained children in clown costumes was found to have young boys under his house; that jew from NYC that had with a similar taste to yours truly; even that giant from California who drank with the cops was locked up. These cases put something into Ted’s mind; the fear that he could be caught, even as good looking law student. Though he was still handsome, with age he lost some of his looks and charisma. No longer did women turn their head when he walked in, they glanced at him and simply went back to their business. He wasn’t pulling the young ones like used too, seducing them into his car by his boyish good looks and charming smile, choking them as he came in them. Ted had become hollow socially, and the only pleasure he gained from life were the rare murders, and of course, socks.

Carefully he shifted through the rack in front of him. Ted had fled Florida a few days prior, stealing a credit card and some cash. He didn’t even bother to tell the woman he was dating, he thought she assumed that the relationship was over when Ted moved the things out of their apartment. Smiling to himself, he thought about the credit card he took from the old hag at the beach. She was late 40s, maybe early 50s- but her skin was sagging and weathered beyond relief. At this time, Ted was desperate, needing some sort of cash. He drank himself to death the former night, exhausting most of the money he had on two different stolen credit cards. It didn’t even matter that he was hung over, he still sat by the spinster and sweet-talked her, reaching his hands into her purse like a gypsy thief. Like most things, he didn’t care about the consequences of what he done. After all, he was standing here in the department store with what he assumed was a fully loaded credit card.

Here in downtown Milwaukee Ted stood, in some high end store, looking at socks. There were white ones -his favourite- in front of him, rolled up in nice bundles. It reminded him of his university days, how he would stand in his dormitory, folding laundry while listening to Bach or another classical artist on vinyl. Ted checked the price tag of the pair of socks. $14.95 was scribbled on the tag; he assumed it had been marked down from a higher price. Price didn’t matter of course, it wasn’t like it was his money. He stuffed the pair in his back pocket, and then grabbed two extra pairs to put into his front. More than enough he smiled to himself. The total pairs of socks he bought over the last few months had to be more than 20.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ted noticed someone walk in front of the rack of socks. At first he thought it was a woman; perking up slightly, he peered over the rack. In front of Ted was a sandy haired man, a couple inches taller than him. There were a pair of aviators on his face, tinted and golden. The blond man was built and tall, but his posture suggested that he was insecure, awkward. He was slumped over looking at a row of jackets, flicking through the hangers. Ted smugly smiled to himself about the pathetic nature of the stranger. Here was a man, so obviously closeted, trying to pick up other men at a fucking department store, at no later than 1 o’clock. Glancing up again, Ted caught the tall blond’s gaze. Like him, the man’s eyes were blue, albeit a softer lighter colour. The stranger’s dead eyes flickered back towards the jackets. There was something about him, other than his homosexuality, that Ted sensed was different about the man. Maybe it was the way he walked, or the way his eyes glared into his, calling for Ted in a way he couldn’t explain.  
He thought about how had been so long since he killed a man, how different it felt compared to killing women. With women it felt like killing his first love; with men, it felt like getting rid of competition. Although the man was clearly homosexual, every man dead meant more women in the world for Ted. More women who were easier and naive. Less women without the excuse of “I have a boyfriend” as a cop out when they wouldn’t follow him to his car. Yes, that sounded great. Less men, more prey. Ted saw that the man’s back was turned again; and he decided to make a move. Grabbing the socks out his pockets, he put them back on the shelf and began walking towards the stranger. 

“Do you work here?” Ted tapped the man on his shoulder. The light eyed man turned around quick. It was sudden, but Ted thought the man didn’t seem surprised, as if he was expecting Ted to approach him.

“God no, I’m just shopping here” the man said, smiling wanly. 

“You looked like you wanted to ask me something” 

“N-no, I’m alright.” the man tried to forge a smile again. “You from Milwaukee?”

Ted paused for a moment. Should he lie like most of the time? Or was there any risk of this man caring about where a man he so obviously wanted to fuck came from? 

“No, I’m actually from Ohio. Just traveling through” Ted lied through his teeth. There was a good chance this stranger had read about the crimes in Florida he committed, although they were still unidentified. A lone man leaving a crime scene raised some suspicion.

“Ohio?” the man’s voice jumped up slightly. “I grew up there you know, in Bath. Great town, near Akron.” 

“I’ve never been there” That wasn’t a lie.

“Really? Not even to Akron?” the man laughed. “Jesus, are you even a Midwesterner?” 

Shit, Ted thought. Should’ve just told him he was from Washington. After all, nobody suspected him there. Just play it off, he told himself, ask his name. There needed to be blood tonight- just to get that rush again. 

“Maybe, I am, maybe I’m not” Ted smirked. “But if you want to know buddy, you got give me a name first”.

The man played along with him. “Jeff” he said, sticking out a hand. 

“And I’m Ted” he shook Jeff’s hand back. There was no use in lying about his name; after all, he used the name “Officer Ted” more times than he could count.  
“It’s nice to meet you. I usually don’t ask this often” Jeff’s eyes glanced around “But would you like to grab a bite to eat, or something?”

Ted’s eyes danced around the store. There was a older man on the other end of the aisle, but no one else around. No risk, no shame. 

“It’s a bit early, don’t you think?”. Though Ted didn’t really want to spend the day with a man he just met, he really needed a drink. If he drank anything more, he would probably puke his intestines out. “Listen, how about we do something else… take me for a drink?”

Ted could tell he didn’t have much money to spend, by the way Jeff winced at the end of the question. But still, as far as Ted could tell, Jeff was willing to give more than usual away. When Ted arrived in downtown Milwaukee, he shocked by how many blacks there were. Assuming this was Jeff’s dating pool, he must of gotten sick of the limited options already. After all, what was a pretty white boy like Theodore R. Bundy doing in this area of town? Ted knew Jeff would spare a few dollars just to spend a day with a man like him. 

After a pause, Jeff hesitantly agreed. So, after a few quick exchanges and $50 dollars worth of socks, the two men left the department store. It was a breezy day in Milwaukee, warm enough to go without a hat, but just cold enough you would need a jacket. Jeff was wearing a windbreaker, tan and faded. Ted figured it must’ve been thrifted or gotten cheaply, but he liked the charm and traditionalism it gave off. Although he was quite materialistic, Ted could always respect a man who showed off his roots. It reminded him of his childhood in a strange way. They walked down the street briskly; Jeff stuffing his hands in his pockets, Ted already pulling out a pack of Marlboros. Jeff stopped for a moment, pulling Ted aside. 

“You smoke?” Jeff questioned.  
“What, you don’t?” Ted said sarcastically. “You’ve got to be kidding me, buddy!”  
“No, No I do.” Jeff smiled. “Do you have a lighter?”

Ted felt his pockets. His hands grazed over a pair of socks in his trouser pockets he forgot to pay for; but no lighter. 

“Well shit, I actually don’t-”  
“Here” Jeff pulled out a match. He struck up a flame, as Ted lifted a cigarette to his mouth. 

They burned together like a flame. 

Jeff pulled closer to Ted, engulfing him in his warmth. Now he could smell him, a kind of clean sulfur smell; devoid of any humaness, any feeling. Ted was almost like a caricature of a perfect man; handsome, charming, sweet, kind. He in a way, almost perfect. Absolutely perfect, Jeff thought, he’s a angel sent down from heaven to forgive me. An angel to forgive him what he did these last few months, an angel to forgive him for the bodies in his apartment. All in all, an angel who was here to save him and stay with him forever. Ted was the one who would never leave him, never betray him. Jeff could tell that he wasn’t like the others, that something about Ted separated him from the rest of the world. Whether the feeling was positive or negative, Jeff wanted him regardless. 

Jeff’s match blew out. 

“Thanks” Ted whispered slyly. His eyes were now almost black. 

Jeff peered into his face again. He was beautiful, and if there wasn’t people watching, he would’ve strangled the brunette by his pretty neck as soon as they got out of the store. But still, Jeff restrained himself again, shoving his hands back into his pocket. Ted blew a few clouds and stamped out the Marlboro quickly. He was still nervous being seen with another man in public, especially like this. He wanted to get a move on and something to eat. 

“So, where do you want go?” 

They continued on their way. Jeff threw a few more glances towards Ted, in a coy manner. It was such pure bliss to see a man like him, walk along such a lanky, glasses-wearing outcast like Jeff. He thought about the way the slender brunette’s body would look in his bed, spread out and lifeless, begging to be Jeff’s lover forever. As they walked, Jeff couldn’t help but admire how in shape Ted was. He could it was gained from some sort of light fitness, like tennis or biking. Jeff had lifted weights almost daily in highschool, but into adulthood he had given up and rarely exercised at all. Besides being busy with work; he felt like most of the men in Milwaukee’s gay community were impressed easily with man who at least wasn’t fat. In a way, he was a sort of “honey” in his community; men flocked to him for his looks and meekish demeanor. Jeff could tell that if Ted was gay, he had similar experiences. 

At the end of the street was Shakers, the old cigar bar and restaurant that was a historic building in Milwaukee. It had an history of crime and murder, and well known for frequent sightings of ghosts that roamed the halls. Jeff had began dabbling in the occult last year, but grown sick of it after seeing no prospects of return, whether it be ghostly gifts or a community to join about the subject. He had the gay clubs at least- and his fish. Thinking over these ties and the closeness of the proximity, Jeff chose Shakers as his choice for their lunch. 

He held the door open for Ted, smiling at him as he watched Ted’s glimmer at the sign of politeness. Jeff had at first thought Ted’s eyes were brown or black, but as the sun came over them he realized that they were in fact, blue. It was inhuman- extremely strange. It felt like he looking at a whole different man. 

“Thanks” Ted spoke, crushing out his cigarette on the sidewalk. 

“You can smoke in the bar, you know” Jeff said, noticing that Ted stamped out his barely smoke cig. 

Laughing, Ted smacked Jeff in the arm. “Listen, buddy- I’m good. I’m nearly down to my last one and I just bought it this morning”. He walked in through Shaker’s stained glass door. 

Jeff took a peak of his behind, watching Ted’s hip sway, and followed in. Was he wearing heels?

The waitress that took them to their table was a tall, brunette, twenty-something. Jeff didn’t pay much attention to her, the voice she spoke in was shrill and reminded him of his mother Joyce. Ted seemed to take a liking to her though- his eyes surveyed her from head to toe, almost a step away from salivating all over her. 

Was Ted straight and using him for money? Gay but appreciative of the female figure? Or, strangely, did he play for both teams? Jeff tried to not think about it as the settled into a booth near the bar, taking in a full cloud of smoke as they both shifted in. 

“Do you think she’s cute?” Ted asked eying the waitress as she walked away.

“What?” Jeff wasn’t paying attention. He was watching the Packers play in a tv screen near the bar. 

“The waitress. I asked you if you thought she was cute”. 

“Sure” Jeff lied. Better safe than sorry. He thought that Ted was at first playing tough to get, but he was starting to think that Ted was a straight guy who was just an idiot. He went back into staring at the football game. 

Ted snapped at Jeff with his fingers. “Hey. What’s going on big guy? What’s on the small screen?  
“The Packers” Jeff replied monotonously.  
“Who?”  
“The Green Bay Packers” Geez, does this guy not watch football? Jeff thought.  
“Never heard of them”  
“Football team”  
Ted smirked nervously.  
“Sorry. I’m a bit more of a baseball fan. You ever watch the Seattle Mariners play?”  
“No. You’re from Seattle? I thought you said you were from Oklahoma?” Jeff started to think this guy was insane. He was clearly straight; but went out on a date with an obviously gay man, and routed for the Mariners when he was from Oklahoma. Why not the Sooners?

Ted stuttered a bit. “Well, I was born IN Oklahoma City” he didn’t let his cover go out just yet. “But I went to University of Washington to study Chinese”. Pausing for a moment, he looked Jeff in the eyes. “Where did you go?”

 

Jeff stopped for a moment. For some reason he was terrified of Ted- his gaze was unflinching and cold. It was like he almost knew what had happened in his past. 

“Ohio State University” Jeff replied he avoided eye contact, drinking from the glass of water the waitress had left. He wondered when she would come back for drink orders.  
“Interesting” Ted smiled “What was your major? I switched out to Utah for law after my degree”  
“Business” Jeff replied somberly. He was afraid to admit that he had been kicked out after barely a year.  
“You do anything in the business ballpark? One of the guys I met in Utah who transferred from Ohio State now works as a contract manager for an engineering firm”.  
“N-no. I actually don’t” Jeff put down his empty class. He could feel sweat dripping off his forehead.  
“So, what do you do then? C’mon, a guy like you got have a comfy job around here. Milwaukee, land of cheese!” Ted seemed less than sober.  
“I work”  
“As what, Jeff? I’m asking you a fucking question here”  
“At Ambrosia Chocolate Factory, North Street” Jeff answered quietly.

Ted burst out laughing, catching the attention of several bar patrons. “You’ve got to be kidding me! What are you, fucking Willy Wonka? Going to take me to a world of pure imagination?” He continued to laugh at the same volume.  
“Listen Ted” Jeff’s eyes darted around the restaurant. “There’s people here, you’ve got to tone it down”. He was a man who liked to avoid attention, and being with a hungover man in a pub raised some eyebrows to people who were not in the gay scene. Did people think they were a couple? Both were masculine in appearance, but it was rare to see two men not sit down at a bar. Their waitress still had not come to take orders, and both were getting antsy for something to drink. 

Jeff spoke. “You want to move to the bar?”  
Ted looked at him wide eyed. “I’m going to slump over you know. I’m drunk as a fish Jeff”. He grinned. 

This time Jeff’s heart fluttered a bit- god, he was beautiful. He looked at Ted’s outfit- saw his turtleneck and blazer, an almost anachronistic staple from the 70s- and thought it was tailor made for him. His hair was neatly styled and combed, and Jeff could smell his cologne from across the table; a different smell from the sulfury one from earlier. Jeff was no flamer, but he could appreciate what a man wore. Even with Ted’s clothes on, Jeff could tell that he was trim, lean, and had a swimmer’s body underneath all the fabric, just his type. Perfectly sculpted biceps from hours of- 

Jeff’s thoughts were interrupted by the waitress, whom he did not know that name of, return to the table after 10 minutes or so. It had felt like longer. 

Picking up her notepad, she laid her eyes on both men. It didn’t take a genius to notice that Jeff and Ted were above average in attractiveness, but she seemed absolutely smitten with both. Her eyes focused significantly on Jeff, not taking a secondary glance at Ted until he spoke up and ordered. It seemed like Ted wasn’t interested in her either anymore, likely because her brown hair was cropped at ear length. Both ordered a Milwaukee brew, with Jeff dictating what Ted should and should not order. Eventually both settled on a red beer. 

They stayed silent for the wait time. Jeff watched the game, while Ted amiously stared at a boating shop he could see outside the window. When the beers came, small talk began. Little bits there and there, about what they did last weekend or what hobbies they had. According to Ted, he enjoyed tennis and cooking in his spare time, two things that he said that he wished to improve on. Jeff tried to keep his interests more discreet (after all, it was unknown to him if Ted was straight or not) and told him that he enjoyed tennis as well and kept up with weightlifting regularly. 

‘We’re both fairly athletic, wouldn’t you say?” Ted spoke. There was certain amount of quietness in the restaurant since lunch hour ended.  
“I guess so” Jeff smiled.

Then the question that Jeff had been dreading came, a question that burned him more than the one about schooling. 

“Where do you live?” asked Ted. It was a questioning, invasive tone.  
“Main street” Jeff lied.  
“You’ve got to give me a better description than that, Jeff. Apartment or bungalow? There was some nice ones I saw while driving here”.  
“I-it’s an apartment”  
“Mhm. That’s nice. There was a great dormitory I lived in while studying at Utah. I basically had half of the floor to myself”. 

Jeff looked at the crinkles near his eyes and smile lines on Ted’s face. How old was he? He couldn’t be younger than 40. It seemed that the lines had been there since he was very young, almost emblazoned in his face since birth. Jeff never noticed them in the store, he thought that Ted was much younger. 

“If you don’t mind me asking-”  
“Go ahead” Ted cut him off.  
“How old are you?” 

 

Ted paused for a moment. Then he smirked, although this time he was clearly embarrassed. 

“40” He looked at Jeff in his eyes. The tone was passive aggressive, but he knew that the question had been coming.  
“I thought you were older” Jeff said. Ted’s eyebrows furrowed.  
“Let me guess, late twenties? Early thirties?” Ted questioned Jeff.  
“I’m 28”  
“You’re quite young, you know that?”  
“Not THAT young. But I’m definitely too old to still be working for minimum wage at job at a goddamn candy factory.”

Ted laughed. Despite the situation, Jeff got the urge to kiss Ted then and there. The bar was empty, but he could see patrons on the other side of the restaurant near the door. 

“Want to get out of here?” Jeff asked.  
“Sure” Ted smiled. Both had warmed up to each other more than expected. Despite just drinking a litre of beer, he didn’t feel the rush quite yet. He decided that he could pick up a six pack on the way out.  
Jeff pulled out a pair of crumpled dollar bills from jacket and placed them on the table next to the empty glasses. It was more than he needed to pay, but he left extra just in case. Ted turned towards him.  
“You know, I was worried that you were some kind of freak when I saw you at the store” Ted teased “But you’re a real nice guy, Jeff”. 

The two walked out into the afternoon. It was around 2 o'clock, but the sun had darkened significantly and Jeff could tell it was about to rain.  
Shit, what would they do now? He had planned to take Ted out to the park. 

“You got an umbrella?” Ted asked. He shoved this hands in pockets and bowed his head from the droplets of incoming rain. Retreating under the patio, he saw that Jeff’s jacket was large enough to keep a small one in. 

“No, I don’t” he looked at Ted. “But you could use my windbreaker if you like. I’m actually quite warm”. The rain was surprisingly humid. 

 

Ted stared up at him. Right now, no doubt about if Jeff was gay was not to him. He could’ve maybe brushed off the department store incident and the day drinking, but giving a man you just met your jacket was too far beyond heterosexuality. This man certainly wanted to fuck him indefinitely. But Ted wanted to murder him, gay or not. 

“Ted? I asked if you want my windbreaker” spoke Jeff, in a worried tone. He seemed upset that Ted wasn’t answering him.

The brunette looked up at him. Ted thought about it for a moment; should he take the jacket? There was no one on the street, except for what he assumed to be chinese tourists crowding around a coffee shop. Ted wasn’t trying to get into Jeff’s pants, but he was so lost in the moment that he took the windbreaker off of him. After all, he did like possessions from his victims. 

“Just return it to me after, ok?” Jeff spoke nervously.  
“Don’t worry” Ted joked sheepishly, “I’m not a crook, am I Jeff?”  
“Well, you can’t trust many around here” Jeff looked down at his feet. The two were still standing under the entrance of Shakers, protected from the increasingly harder rain. “I nearly got mugged a few weeks ago”.

Ted thought about this, reflecting on how he was just a petty crook before his first murder. He had stolen high-end items, whether it be tennis rackets or a television, for Christmas to give to his ex-fiancee Liz and her daughter. The two had accepted the gifts as they came, praising Ted for his gifts during a time of poverty, but Liz quickly retaliated when she learned how Ted had exactly gotten them. He remembered an incident where he had to leave to another room to avoid crying in front of her. Despite the numerous psychiatric evaluations he went through, Ted Bundy did indeed show emotions when put under pressure. He got frustrated easily, though during his incarceration he was polite to the guards who taunted him relentlessly. There was manhunts after his escape, but his quick escape to Florida made it impossible to track him down. He changed his hairstyle, his method of dressing, his facial hair like he always did. He was a chameleon; blending in to the environment around him, watching for predators who may uncover who he really was. Ted wondered if Jeff knew about him, if he ever payed attention to the news 10 or so years ago. How old would he be? 18 or so? So young, thought Ted, How great it would be to be that naive again. He smiled to himself. 

Jeff noticed that his mugging comment went unnoticed, and stepped into the pouring rain. The rain soaked his button up shirt, and his glasses were pelted with droplets of rain. As they got fogged up, Jeff took them off and captured a bleary glimpse of Ted who was still standing under the patio of the restaurant. Even though he was nearsighted, Jeff could see Ted smiling at him with a closed mouth smirk. It was then and there, no matter the circumstance, Jeff decided he would kill Ted tonight. It didn’t matter if he had to take him back home to grandma’s or rent a hotel room, Jeff just wanted him. To feel the decrease of his pulse as Jeff lied on top of him, to feel the breathing start to stop. He quickly threw on his glasses and repented towards the doorway of Shakers. 

Anxiously, he grabbed Ted’s hand. There was nothing left to lose, Jeff was lovestruck and in the heat of the moment. Ted didn’t resist, instead squeezing tighter on Jeff’s grip. They embraced each other. 

“Do you want me to stay?” asked Ted, smiling into Jeff’s eyes. There was no stutter, no hesitance. Just a realization of the blond’s affections. 

“Yes” replied Jeff, staring at him with wild eyes. 

There was no doubt of the intentions between them. No guessing. 

“For as long as you like?” Ted smiled. 

“For as long as I like” 

 

 

END


End file.
